2007 Recipients
William W. Rawstron
William Rawstron, over the years, your hard work led you to the top tier of Jamesbury Corp., becoming vice president of technology. Later, you would become vice president of the entire corporation. You have held positions with the Northborough School Housing Committee, and spent thirty-one years with the Northborough Zoning Board of Appeals – twenty-five as chairman.
In 1963, along with your wife, Ann, you purchased ten acres of land and rebuilt an old farmhouse. In 1984, you purchased the remaining ninety-one of land in Northborough, Massachusetts. You refused to build on that land, preferring to relinquish control to the Sudbury Valley Trustees. By doing this, you assured that the remaining territory is kept intact as wildlife preservation. While enforcing a strict natural habitat, you still allow people to enjoy the land for simple recreation activities, such as cross-country skiing, and hiking.
Since graduating from WPI, you and Ann have generously given back to your alma mater. You spent many years as chair of the Management Department Board of Advisors. As a Presidential Founder and a member of the Alden Society, your giving never stops. Over the course of your lifetime, you’ve displayed true dedication towards each of your beliefs, including the Church of the Nativity in Northborough. Whether working with one of your many committees, your alma mater, or your nature conservation, you always find a way to make other people a priority.
Bill Rawstron, on behalf of WPI, we thank you for all you have done for the state of Massachusetts, as well as for WPI. We honor you today with the Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
Ernest S. Hayeck
Ernest Hayeck, after graduating with a law degree from Boston University in 1955, you became a judge in the trial courts of Worcester, commanding honor and respect. You were awarded the American Bar Association Franklin N. Flaschner Judicial Award in 1992 for excelling in the courtroom.
As an experienced veteran of the board of directors of Wendy's International Inc., you worked closely with Dave Thomas, the late Wendy’s senior chairman, bringing the Wendy’s franchise to your home state. Company spokesman Denny Lynch said you brought “a tremendous willingness to share your contacts and expertise in Massachusetts.” After you stepped in to help, 15 franchises opened in the commonwealth.
You were always known as a humble and respectful man who could be counted on when needed most. Your donations to Boston University help educate many gifted and talented students. For years, the National Judicial College has considered you one of its finest faculty members; you helped lay the groundwork for a national adoption and family issues program at the college. Through your experience and teaching, you work to give back and provide for those who need you.
Ernie Hayeck, we honor you with the Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement for your commitment in the Massachusetts court system, your business ventures, and your work with young legal students.
Domenico Grasso
Domenico Grasso, since graduating from WPI with a degree in civil engineering, you have been interested in contaminants in the environment, and in developing techniques to reduce the risks they pose to human health and natural resources. Your work led the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency to appoint you vice chair of its Science Advisory Broad; Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to invite you to participate in the World Justice Project. You were elected president of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, named a “Pioneer in Disinfection” by the Water Environment Federation, and have been invited to join leadership boards and research teams across America and abroad.
You rose from assistant professor to department head at the University of Connecticut before joining the faculty at Smith College, where you were the founding director of the first engineering program at a U.S. women’s college. There you set out to emphasize the importance of the connections between humanistic motivations and behavior and the sciences. In a recent article describing this, you noted that “to better serve humanity, engineers must at least attempt to understand the human condition in all its complexity.”
As a professor and dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Vermont, you continue to evolve engineering curricula to connect the sciences and the liberal arts, and challenge students and faculty to realize the power of engineering thought.
Domenico Grasso, you have garnered the respect and admiration of many with your accomplishments. WPI honors you today with the Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.
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